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J. C. Liou (GB Tech/Lockheed Martin), H. A. Zook (NASA/Johnson Space Center)
One method to detect extrasolar planets is to deduce the perturbations of planets on the observed circumstellar dust cloud. To relate irregularities in the observed dust brightness distribution to possible planets, with their masses and orbital locations, one must understand the interaction of the dust particles with the planets. Our Solar System, with its known configuration of planets, provides an excellent example to study how the distribution of dust particles is affected by the existence of different planets. Numerical simulations of the orbital evolution of dust particles from the Kuiper Belt objects show that the four giant planets, especially Jupiter and Neptune, impose distinct and dramatic signatures on the overall distribution of dust particles. Our Solar System would be recognized as a system with at least two giant planets when observed afar.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: jer-chyi.liou1@jsc.nasa.gov